ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S ALLURE OF THE SEAS WELCOMES PARTICIPANTS OF THE ROYAL BAHAMAS POLICE FORCE SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMME
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. recently hosted participants of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) Summer Youth Programme to tour the Allure of the Seas while the ship was docked in Nassau.
The excursion, the second in a series to be organized by Royal Caribbean and Reuben Rahming, Member of Parliament for Pinewood, sought to showcase areas of the 18-deck ship most appealing to the young visitors ranging in age from 4-16, all participants in the Southeastern division of the police-sponsored programme. The first tour was held onboard the Oasis of the Seas a few weeks earlier for senior citizens of the Pinewood area.
“Many times we get in a rut as a nation by looking just for traditional opportunities and ignoring the rest,” said Rahming, explaining the impetus for today’s tour. “There is a deliberate attempt by us in Pinewood to show our people the benefits that we have not just on land but air and sea. We want our people to understand that apart from building a hotel on land that each one of these ships are, in of themselves, hospitality machines. We want them to be able to acquaint themselves with the vision of it so that they know there are opportunities there.”
Royal Caribbean recently re-affirmed its commitment to careers with the world’s largest global cruise line for Bahamians, onboard its ships throughout the world, at its private island destinations including CocoCay in the Berry Islands and at its administration and operations headquarters in Miami. The cruise line has committed to the employment of at least 200 Bahamians a year for the next five years and has partnered with the National Training Agency to develop a training program to provide those who aspire to a career in hospitality with the opportunity to participate in innovative training and development.
The group gathered in Boleros, one of the ship’s swanky lounges, for a brief welcome by Allure of the Seas’ Hotel Director Paul Smith. With the tour underway the group was led to Flowrider, a simulated wave pool where many of the children stood in awe as a guest balanced on a surfboard. They tried their swing at the mini golf course a few feet away. The tour of the youth-friendly features continued with visits to the Adventure Ocean, the largest space at sea dedicated to activities for the youth and surrounding areas.
The open-air garden, aptly named Central Park, provided a suitable location for a brief break with children and adults stopping for selfies. Further navigation around the $1.2 billion, 5,400-guest, and 1,187-foot ship brought the tour to the Boardwalk Carousel where kids, accustomed to smart devices and fast-track video games, took delight in taking a ride on the artistic traditional hand-carved carousel. After working up an appetite, the tour ended with a buffet lunch at Windjammer Marketplace.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to expose the children, some of whom are from the inner city of New Providence, to an environment they may not otherwise have access to and giving them an appreciation for the cruise lifestyle,” said Sgt. Deandrea Barr, coordinator for the Southeastern Division of the RBPF Summer Youth Summer Programme.